Improvement in railroad-car seats and couches



2 Sheets-Sheei 1 T. T. WOODRUFF.

Seat and Couch for Railway Cars.

Patented Deb. 2, 1856.

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I 2 Shee rsSheet 2. T. T. WOOD'RUFF.

Seat and Couch for Railway Cars No. 16 159. Patented Dec. 2, 1856.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Garte s.

THEODORE T. WOODRUFF, OF ALTON, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR SEATS AND COUCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 16,159, dated December 2, 1856.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THEODORE T. Wool)- RUFF, of Alton, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Convertible Seats and Couches for Railroad Cars; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which Figure l is a central longitudinal vertical section of a portion of a railroad-car, repre senting the convertible seats and couches in elevation; Fig. 2, a cross vertical section of a car, taken at the line A a of Fig. 1. and representing the seats on one side of the car and the seats converted to couches on the other side; and Fig. 3, asection representing'a modification.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

My said invention relates to improvements of a prior invention for this purpose for which I filed an application for Letters Patent on the 6th day of August, 1856;and the first part of my present invention consists of a cer-,

ment, each of the said sets consisting of two frames hinged to each other, and one of them, in turn, hinged to one of the partitions forming the compartment, by means of which combination each set of frames may be folded up out ofthe way, and when required to be used as a couch the two sets may be unfolded and connected in a horizontal position to form a coach. 4 4 1 In the accompanying drawings, (1 represents the floor of the car; I) b, the sides; 0, the roof, and d the windows, all of which may be ofthe usual construction. There is to be the usual longitudinal passage-way, c,between the ranges 0t btdlS, bounded on each'sidc by the end 1rames,f, ot'the seats, formed in the usual manside between the sides of the car and the, central passage-Way is to be divided intocompartments g g by cross vertical partitions h h, extending up from the floor to about the usual heightof the backs of the seats, although they may be extended up to any other suitable height, and even to the roof, if desired. In each compartment there are four permanent 0USlll0ll-l I';1iliS,ii i '5, two side by side against each partition h, but lower than the usual heightot' car-seats-say about halt the height, more or less; and in front of each of these frames there is another and movable cushioned frame, j, of about the-same size, and hinged thereto by two metal straps or links, k k, which are connected with said frames by a pin or equivalent joint near the front edge of the permanent frame 41 and near the back edge of the movable tramej, so that the movable frame may be thrown back and over the permanent frame, to form a seat, in the position I, or drawn forward and down to the level of the permanent frame, that the two, in connection with the corresponding two similarly arranged on the opposite side of the compartment, may form a low couch, as represented at m m. In this way the four movable frames can be made into four seats of the usual height, or, in connection with the four permanent frames, converted into two long couches for passengers to lie down.

The backs )L n n n of the four seats are cushioned frames, connected at their upper ends by hinge-jointso with the partitions It, so that they can be let down in a nearly vertical position, as represented at p, or turned up in a horizontal position, as represented at q. To the lower and under edge of two of these backs is hinged another cushioned frame of the same width, but shorter, the two being hinged, so that the frames r may be folded or turned. up behind the backs, when placed in the position represented at p, to form a back for the seats, or turned out in the same plane with the back when placed in a horizontal position, as represented at q, to form an elevated couch, in connection with the corresponding frames on the opposite side. The backs of the two seats placed side by side may have their backs arranged in this manner withan additional frame, 7, so as to form, in connection with the backs of the two opposite seats, two couches side by side; but instead of this the backs of the two opposite seats next to the side of the car may nor with arm-supports. The space on each I be made without the additional frame 1', and

in that case there is to be an elevated cushioned frame, t, attached to and projecting from the side of the car on alevel with the windows, to fill up thespace between thetwocorresponding backs when thrown up in a horizontal position, to form, in connection with them, one of the elevated couches, as represented at u. \Vhen the backs are elevated to a horizontal position to form couches they are to be secured by catches and bolts in any suitable manner.

When the seats are to be converted into coaches the frames which form the seats when in the position lare to be drawn out to the position at m to form couches, and then the backs can be converted into elevated-couches; and when the couches are to be converted into seats the backs are first to be folded and then the frames elevated and carried back to the position l, to form the seats. Another elevated couch is formed above the windows in each compartment, in the sides of the car, by the combination of two sets of frames, each set being composed of two cushioned frames, 11 w, hinged together, as at :0, so that they can be folded up, as represented at y, to be out of the way, the frame 0 being in' turn hinged by the opposite edge to apartitiomz, extendingdown from the roof and extending out from the side of the car; or these partitions may be continuations of the partitions h it. There are two such sets of hinged frames for each compartment, and when they are to be formed into' an elevated couch they are folded out in a horizontal position, as represented at a, the two sets uniting in the middle, and there secured in a suitable manner by catches or bolts. In this way five couches may be formed in each compartment, so that, if preferred, the four persons occupying the four seats of each compartment may be accommodated with couches without the necessity of using either'the lowest couch nearest the side of the car or the couch formed by the backs of the two seats iarthest from the side of the car; or, if desired, the three couches in each compartment nearest the side of the car may be used as such, leaving two seats next to the passage-way e.

The several frames above described may be made and cushioned in any suitable manner, as this makes no part of myinvention; and the manner of forming the hinges by which they are connected with each other and with the partitions of the several compartments may be modified in any manner which will admit of folding and unfolding them in the manner substantially as described.

It it should be desired to make the backs n of the seats low, or to elevate the couches formed by the backs to a greater height, this may be effected by forming the hinged joint, as represented in Fig.3, with a projecting stem, 1), on each side of the back. In this way the couch will be elevated above the hinge-joint to the extent of the length of the stem.

I am aware that it has been proposed to convert the usual reversible backs of railroad-car seats into couches by turning up the said reversible backs of two sets ofseats in each compartment into a horizontal position and bringing the edges of two of them into contact and there securing them; but this is objectionable for the reason that in such case the backs so used, to give the required length of couch, would make the backs too high when used as backs, and, besides, both surfaces require to be cushioned, because the surface which is used as a back cannot constitute the couch but by my invention the same cushioned surface is used both for the back and the couch, and without any necessity of making the backs of more than the usual height; and I am also aware thatit has been proposed to convert the opposite seats of railroad-cars into couches by having each seat double with one of the cushioned frames to form the connection between any two of the seats; but thisis objectionable for the reason that the seats so arranged can only be converted into couches when the backs are made on the plan known as reversible backs, and for the further reason that when the seats are converted into couches they cannot be depressed suffieiently below the usual height of the seats to leave the required space between the lower couches and the second tier ofcouclies when formed of backs of the usual and appropriate height; and, ag tin, this method is objectionable for the further reason that if any of the seats in any one compartment are converted into couches all must be, so that the passengers in any one compartment must either all sit or all lie down, whereas on my plan some may lie down and others sit up, at their election. I

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination ofthe movable and fixed frames on one side of each compartment with the movable and fixed frames on the opposite side thereof, to form of each two depressed couches when unfolded and connected, and which may be converted into two opposite seats when the two movable seats are thrown up and over the permanent frames, substantially as described.

2. Combining each of the hinged folding backs on one side of each compartment with .each of the corresponding hinged backs on the opposite side of the same compartment by means of the folding or connecting frames or equivalent therefor, substantially as described, whereby the same may be used as hacks for the seats or as couches, as set forth.

' 5. Forming an elevated couch above the windows by the combination of the two setsof hinged frames, substantially as described, so that when not required to be used as a couch the two sets of frames may be folded up out of the way in the manner substantially as described.

T. T. WOODRUFF. Witnesses:

WM. H. BisHoP, JOHN GIBSON. 

